EEOC Says Job Bias Complaints Reach Second-Highest Level Ever

More than 93,000 job bias complaints were filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission last year, the second-highest level ever.

The numbers represent a 2 percent drop from the record set in 2008, the Associated Press reports. But the number of workers alleging discrimination based on disability, religion and national origin reached record highs last year. The number claiming age-based discrimination reached the second-highest level ever.

Overall, the most frequently filed charges allege discrimination based on race, retaliation and sex, according to a press release.

The agency says the near-record level for overall claims may be because of the poor economy, increased diversity in the labor force, increased awareness of worker rights, a change in the EEOC’s intake practices, and greater access to the EEOC.